Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Pope Leo XIV received Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, Germany, on May 7, amid public disagreement between the Vatican and the cardinal over the blessings of same-sex couples and couples who have remarried outside the Church.

Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass this morning outside the Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii (video), after greeting disabled persons and venerating the relics of the shrine’s founder, St. Bartolo Longo (video).

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, the president of the episcopal conference, said on May 6 that “I have held several working sessions with the Pope—including one just last week—during which we drafted a preliminary itinerary. His visit would provide an opportunity to share with the Pope the current life of our Church in France and to draw encouragement from his words.”

The trip could take place in late September and include visits to Paris and Lourdes, according to the episcopal conference.

Pope Leo XIV visited Naples Cathedral this afternoon and encouraged priests to care for their spiritual life and be brothers to one another (video).

“Cases of Jews harassing Christians have risen sharply in recent years,” the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported. “Last month, the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] punished a soldier who was filmed bludgeoning a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon. This week, the IDF also announced that it would discipline a different soldier who was seen placing a cigarette into the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in a photo posted on social media.”

Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland met with Pope Leo XIV and discussed “responsibility, peace, and a world that today, more than ever, needs solidarity,” according to a social media post from the prime minister.

Following a 50-minute helicopter flight, Pope Leo XIV arrived this morning at the Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii, the first stop in a twelve-hour pastoral visit to Pompeii and Naples.